Always Learn!

Capturing experiences in writing is the only sure-fire way you can learn lessons from them. Since we have so many things going on every day in our lives, relying on our memories isn’t an option. One thing happens and it suddenly takes precendence over what previously happened, and so on. Special moments of emotion and experience are lost forever.

Without accurate enhancement of our past, we run the risk of repeating errors. How many times have you made the same mistake twice and lived to regret it? Had you made the simple effort to keep a journal full of important reminders, you could’ve saved yourself the trouble of repeating the mistake. It’t not guaranteed, but it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

The very act of writing about our lives in our journal helps us to think more objectively. Having time to ponder and analyze experiences allows us to not only see the error of our ways, but will give us inspiration to help others learn from our mistakes. We begin to see more clearly, enabling us to make life-changing refinements and pass them along to our business associates.

The more we capture events in our journal, the more clearly we communicate. All that it takes is a small amount of time at the end of each day. One small entry in your journal at a time. If you really want to get the most of out it, review it once more the following morning as well. You may not ever need to review it ever again, but at least you know it’s there just in case.

A life worth living is a life worth documenting. Anything you do that motivates you to get out of bed in the morning has vaule. You do it for a reason. If something should happen that causes you to re-evaulate your reasons based on your experiences throughout the day, it’s important to document it in our journal. It just might give you even more of a reason to get up the following day.

The ability to establish competent leadership lies in the emerging value of the individual. Network marketing is all about reaching out to others and helping them. When you do something that improves your business, others will do the same and as a result, your business will grow even more. Show others the importance of keeping a journal by doing it yourself first.

Keeping a journal will also improve your writing skills. Proper marketing education promotes quality copy-writing in order to get the right people in front of the right message, and it all comes down to practice. Journals are a great way to express your thoughts freely, which will eventually develop into your own style.

The more you write, the easier it is to come up with ideas during the actual act of writing itself. Everything starts with an idea, and writing puts you in the frame of mind that stimulates the thinking process. You could decide to sit down and write in your journal a paragraph about what happened to you at the post office, for example, and it could cause your mind to think of an idea for a mailer that could boost your sales.

How many times have you arrived at the grocery store wishing you had written down a list of the things you needed? The same principles apply to keeping a journal of not just what happens to you, but also what you might want to happen. Writing and reviewing your goals is an important part of reaching them.

In my journal I also have a daily list of everything I want to accomplish for my home-based business, and I cross them off one by one after they are taken care of. Sometimes I don’t get to them all, but that’s the beauty of writing it down. I can cross them off tomorrow because I have a reminder to do it. It makes it that much easier to reflect upon the things I did during the day later on as well.

With so many different techniques being thrown around in network marketing that can drain a persons savings account, keeping a journal is the only free business-building technique available. Take advantage of it. Since the purpose of a journal is to create a gathering place for all your observations and discoveries about life, the value of having one can greatly improve your chances of having a successful home-based business.

NATIONAL FORUM OF APPLIED EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH JOURNAL

Volume 23, Numbers 1&2, 2009-2010

FOREWORD

STRATEGIC PLANNING USING THE WAYS OF KNOWING THROUGH THE REALMS OF MEANING By Queinnise Miller, PhD Student in Educational Leadership, Cohort 5 – PVAMU – The Texas A&M University System

About the Issue

The year 2004 marked the inception of the Educational Leadership Doctoral Program in the Whitlowe R. Green College of Education at Prairie View A&M University.  Since then over 32 educational professionals have graduated and joined the academy of Doctors of Philosophy in Educational Leadership.  As the program grows each year new cohorts of educational professionals are established, and the future of research becomes brighter.  This special issue contains the thoughts and theories based on research  of  Cohort  5, as  it  relates  to  strategic  planning as a theoretical framework by utilizing  the Ways  of  Knowing Through  the Realms of  Meaning (2007) by Dr. William Allan Kritsonis.  These articles were a partial requirement for a course in the doctoral program taught by Professor Kritsonis.

In the first article, Queinnise Miller explores professional learning communities while taking a look at how they impact school improvement and their place in strategic planning in education.  In the second article, Rosnisha Stevenson discusses ways school districts can meet one of their goals on their campus improvement plan and increase their standardized test scores by using the six realms of meaning in the classrooms.  In the third article, Carmelita Thompson discusses ways in which strategic planning implemented by utilizing the Ways of Knowing Through the Realms of Meaning (Kritsonis, 2007) creates a high performing educational organization.  In the fourth article, Barbara Thompson discusses significant aspects of the six realms of meaning as it relates to strategic planning in instructional leadership.  In the fifth article, Kashan Ishaq discusses how school leaders’ understanding of the six realms of meaning can be strategically integrated in solving the educational problems of today and improving the schools of tomorrow.  The sixth article, Christine Lewis discusses ways our educational leaders in public schools can incorporate the Ways of Knowing Through the Realms of Meaning (Kritsonis 2007) to take strategic planning from the modernism age to postmodernism age to improve our nation’s educational system.   In the seventh article, Tyrus Doctor discusses strategies used within our current school environment, while implementing postmodern thinking. In the eight article, David Palmer shows the linkage between the realms of meaning and strategic planning and to show how symbolics, empirics, esthetics, synnoetics, ethics and synoptics has an under pinning value to the planning that is required for successful schools.  In the ninth article, Sheri Miller-Williams introduces the concept of systems thinking and suggest two frameworks that could work to support comprehensive school reform. In the tenth article, Simone Gardiner discusses how postmodernism and the realms of meaning can be implemented in students’ learning with the use of strategic planning.  In the eleventh and final article, Demetria Diggs apprises educators of how incorporating the six realms from the Ways of Knowing Tthrough the Realms of Meaning (Kritsonis, 2007), into school improvement and strategic plans to yield avant-garde results for all educational stakeholders.            (Over)…

Cohort 5 at PVAMU sincerely appreciates the opportunity to publish in the National FORUM of Applied Educational Research Journal. We thank the National Policy Board representing all National FORUM Journals for their confidence in our work. To be published as doctoral students in a national refereed journal is professionally rewarding. We thank our professor Dr. William Allan Kritsonis for providing outstanding mentorship in guiding us in our writing pursuits.

Queinnise Miller

PhD Student in Educational Leadership – Cohort 5

Prairie View A&M University

Teacher

Alief Independent School District

National FORUM of Applied Educational Research Journal

Volume 23, Numbers 1&2 2009-2010

Issue Distribution and Circulation (Approximations)

Issue Distribution Libraries……………………………..    948

Association of College and Research Libraries……   383

Deans, College of Education …………………………….   396

NCATE Accredited Institutions…………………………     632

Selected Professors……………………………………….  1,289

State Superintendents……………………………………        52

Editors of National, Regional, State Journals………….  95

School Superintendents/Principals/Supervisors…2,005

Bureaus of Educational Research Services……………243

Conference Distribution…………………………………       279

National Organizations………………………………….       104

International Distribution/Worldwide…………………  641

2,839 Circulation

Not everyone writes in journals but for me my journal was a great source of release. A place where I could write down my thoughts and my feelings and keep track of what I had been doing. I didn’t start writing personal journals until I was 21 but I think if I had started at an early age I would have “written myself” some useful information and a better education on life.

At school we had one year in our English class where we were required to write in a journal once a week. The journal was left in the classroom and it was later to be shared with others so this was a different format of journal writing in that we were given topics and asked to write our thoughts and questions about topics into the journal. Hearing others insights into all the particular topics was always a great experience. At the end of each journal class we were given a further 15 minute period to add to our journals on the topics discussed. At the end of that school year we were all given our journals back and I still now go back to that journal with fond memories of not only the school and my classmates but of that particular English teacher.

As a student and as part of my education the journals provided me a great deal of insight into how others felt about things and the different thought processes people have on various topics. I think that many people would benefit in their education if they were required to follow a similar format to that as described above. I know it improved my educational experience and made me want to write journals for myself in later life.

My own personal Education journals are more discussions with myself about daily or weekly events and feelings. When I write in my journal I give myself time and allow myself to focus on my thoughts and feelings for the events that I am writing about and I feel that being able to do this for myself reduced a lot of stress in my life as my thoughts were out and not bottled up inside me. Of course a journal cannot take away all the stresses of life but it is amazing how just writing the information down, at least for me improved the way I approached my challenges.

I also feel that with the experience of writing in my journal it has made me a better thinker and able to express my thoughts and opinions in words much more clearly than I can ever articulate them verbally. This I believe has helped me in my career in many ways as I am a fast thinker at least when written documentation is required and I have a lot of experience that I have previously written about in my journal to fall back on. Each detail of what has gone on in my life and my thought processes with dealing with it gives me an insight into the things that go on around me daily.

The experience for anyone who is considering writing in a journal should not be a task that must be completed or feel that way. Unless of course it is a task in that you are required to complete journal writing for education purposes at school. If you are in this position then try to turn the journal writing experience around to your own advantage and be creative with your thoughts. When writing for yourself take the time to gather your thoughts and feelings and things you care about at that particular time and write them down. Journals can be incredibly relaxing and they give you the chance to analyze your own thoughts and feelings without any judgment from anyone but yourself.

STANFORD, Calif. — Education Next is the most influential journal in education, according to a study released last week by the Editorial Projects in Education (EPE) Research Center. The study, Influence: A Study of the Factors Shaping Education Policy, was based on an extensive survey of the education field’s opinion-elite.

Education Next, published quarterly by the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, was the sole journal, peer-reviewed or otherwise, listed among the top-ten information sources in the EPE survey, surpassed only by agencies of the U. S. government, Education Week, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and the non-profit organization Education Trust.

“The other editors and I are very pleased to learn that this young journal, now in its sixth year of publication, has attained such prominence and recognition,” said Paul E. Peterson, editor-in-chief of Education Next and director of the Program on Education Policy and Governance at Harvard University. “The honor reminds us to keep focused on our central mission, namely to ‘present the facts as best they can be determined, giving voice (without fear or favor) to worthy research, sound ideas and responsible arguments.’”

EPE’s study also ranked most influential research in education as well as the most influential individuals. Research on school vouchers conducted by Peterson and his colleagues at Harvard was cited among the thirteen “blockbuster” studies of the past decade. A study of graduation rates by Jay Greene, an Education Next contributing editor, was also listed as one of the top thirteen. The National Assessment of Educational Progress, conducted under the auspices of the U. S. Department of Education, was listed as the most influential research study.

Education Next Senior Editor Chester E. Finn Jr., who also serves as chair of the Hoover Institution’s Koret Task Force on K-12 Education and president of the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, was named as one of the 20 most influential individuals in education. Microsoft founder Bill Gates held the top spot as the single most influential person in education in the last decade.

In a statement, EPE Director Christopher Swanson said the study provides “a unique look at the power-brokers in American education who have shaped much of what happens in our nation’s classrooms over the last 10 years. The influence rankings also shed some light on the movers and shakers to watch in the next decade.”

Education Next features and forums provide opportunities for experts and analysts to cover key issues in school reform. All items in its research section are subject to double-blind peer-review. The journal has garnered national and international attention in recent months with the publication of ground breaking research on such topics as the increased achievement of students when taught by teachers of the same gender, the failure of school phys-ed classes to fight obesity, and the hidden social costs for academically successful minority students in integrated public schools. Regular features of the journal, such as its annual report card on states’ proficiency standards and its “Check the Facts” column, which shines a spotlight on inaccurate and misleading research, are widely referenced by the media, policymakers, government officials, and education practitioners.

The current issue of Education Next (Winter 2007) headlines research that shows that state certification requirements that call for a specific course of study in education schools have little impact on student learning in the classroom. The issue also includes analyses of evidence and arguments used in education adequacy lawsuits and an assessment of the effectiveness of early childhood education. Other articles reveal the local barriers to charter school reform and the extent to which school restructuring is not taking place under No Child Left Behind.

Read the new issue of Education Next now online.

Education Next is a scholarly journal published by the Hoover Institution committed to looking at hard facts about school reform. Other sponsoring institutions are the Harvard Program on Education Policy and Governance and the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation.